Corvus Trading Company
by Wildeve of the Heath
Summary: We make governments stand or fall, safeguard the people or destroy them, and we control the markets.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

Corvus Trading Company

We make governments stand or fall, safeguard the people or destroy them, and we control the markets.

* * *

Disco was a naturally boisterous person.

But when she was in the presence of Ragnar nowadays, it was slightly difficult. He was always brooding, silent, and looking off into nowhere, nothing could pull him out of his sorrow. From all she could gather, there was none, many unsaid issues seemed to run through his mind these days.

Regardless, she stayed with him, as did Pax and Wolfie. Comrades until the end after all.

Ham had led them through the streets in the early morning. No one was out at this hour, normally.

They walked in complete silence, something Disco was never comfortable with. Not when she was young, not even now today. As a result, she took to humming to fill in the gap while they traversed. Every so often she would whistle as they headed down the stone path that led to the docks. Eventually they arrived and the ferryman greeted them.

"Sir," the ferryman addressed him, there was a quick exchange between the two before they set off onto the lake that led to the residences of many.

The boat gently skimmed over the water as Disco sat by the edge, her hand hanging out of it and glazing over the glassy surface. She had forgotten how peaceful life could be when she was not bounding over the next ledge or turning a corner in a dark dungeon. At times she wondered what it would be like to settle down but that was an impossible task for her.

She craved action, she thrived upon the thrill of battle.

Perhaps one day she would settle but for now, her life was just an endless adventure, something very few can live.

It took an hour to reach one of the districts; they walked onto the dock and let Ham lead them once more. This time, they were going passed houses where some lived with families or others with Free Companies.

"Seems a bit out in the open for you secretive people to have a base," Pax commented as he saw a group of kids running by.

"In plain sight is how we operate," Ham replied.

They arrived at a small cottage nestled between one high above and one far below. Crossing the bridge, they found that it was sparsely decorated compared to most of the houses here. It had a simplistic sort of appearance with several wagons on the side- a well and a small fountain, then a garden patch tucked in a corner of the yard.

On the plaque at the gate, a small inscription said: "Corvus Trading Company"

"In plain sight too much?" Disco said.

"Technically, you have to be real close to read that," Ham countered as they strode through the small lawn and got to the door. Ham opened it and a small bell rang, signifying to the owners that guests have arrived.

Inside it seemed to be a simple bookstore. With wooden flooring and crimson wallpaper, bookshelves lined the walls en mass. A simple counter to the right had a cashier and a map of Eorzea behind them. To the left of the wall were fliers posted, most could not be seen as they stood far. Ham stopped before the cashier and the cashier spoke,"What brings you here?"

"New recruits," Ham said simply, he then continued on and walked over to a bookshelf. His fingers brushed over several spines of books before finding one that took his interest. He pulled it and the sound of gears shifting and latches going undone resounded throughout the store. Soon enough, one of the bookshelves groaned and moved, revealing a passageway that led to the basement.

They were taken down a dark hallway where light came from the shop and from the bottom of the stairs. Along the sides, even more bookshelves were nailed in place. Disco wondered what they held and why there was a need to have so many but she would have to snoop around another time as Ham opened a door at the bottom of the stairs.

Ushered into a large room that was converted into some kind of meeting room, they brought the attention of a lone, Hyur woman who was reading from one of the many books in her collection. She glanced up and then adjusted her glasses to see them better- she was a bit shorter than Ham and she dressed much more richer than him.

At her hip was a sword too thin to be called a sword of a Paladin but that was the least of their thoughts as she placed the book down and looked at the four who entered her home.

"These are the ones you spoke about?" She asked, of course she was expecting them, no doubt Ham had sent word at any given time.

"Indeed, Sinclair," Ham began, he went down the line, gesturing to each of them. "Disco, a talented Bard, don't let her looks fool you into thinking she doesn't have eyes of an eagle. Pax, a swordsman who uses the Darkness as his armor and weapon. Wolfie, a Paladin whose conviction is stronger than anyone I have ever met. And finally-"

"-Ragnar," Sinclair finished.

Ragnar had remained quiet the entire time, his ears had been pricked down to show his tense composure.

"You brought a famous face into our midst," Sinclair said, she got up and turned away from them. She went through a hallway and then returned with a singular bottle. "We will have to fix that."

She offered this to him but Ragnar, for the first time in a long while, spoke,"What is in this?"

"Our line of work requires faces unseen. If I can recognize you, our enemies will as well. After all, you were fit to be the Savior of Eorzea years ago, were you not? You could hardly walk into the city without someone calling your name. No, that will not do here, it means danger not only to you but to all of us."

"Will this hurt him?" Disco inquired, she cautiously eyed the potion.

Sinclair shook her head,"Not at all, though he will be disoriented for a while. No harm done. Just drink this, sleep at night and when you awaken, you will live a new life."

Ragnar took it and gently held it, he brought it above to see the contents in the light of the fire. Inside it was liquid clear, almost like water, though there was a weight to it. He popped the cork off and sniffed it, then asked,"It will change me?"

"To someone one would never expect," she assured. "If you want to go after your enemies, you will do best to follow what I say. Understand that this cannot be undone. Do this and then we will begin our work."

Without another thought to stop him, Disco watched him take a drink of whatever the woman offered him. He downed it easily and slammed the bottle onto the table, he wiped his mouth as he began to stagger. Pax held him up as best as he could as Ham led the two to a room to rest. When they were gone, Disco and Woflie sat themselves at the table.

"I take it you're his companions," Sinclair said as she went to a small stove by the fireplace and brought out a kettle.

She began to pour tea out for them.

"I promise you that he will be alright in our hands," she went on.

"He belongs to no one's hands, ma'am," Disco corrected her,"we're here to ensure he lives through this and if your hands turn out bad, we will not hesitate."

"Is that a threat?"

Disco took the teacup and sipped from it, she smiled ever so sweetly as she told her,"That depends if he's in good hands."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

Sinclair struck her as an inhibited type of person, it was no surprise given that she was the ringleader of an organization meant to be kept in the shadows. So when she gave her a threat, there was little to no reaction. Whether it had any impact on her or not, Disco only had to make her point clear.

During her travels alone, she had encountered many shady bands of people. In that time she had to establish some form of dominance for her own safety and so far, the craft of the tongue aided her in so many ways. There was no need to sing people to death, just using her silver words were enough to put them in shambles.

But sometimes, she would not know if it worked or not, and Sinclair had become one of those times.

Disco emerged from the guest quarters that were a level more underground. When she done so, she had emerged semi-decent as she wore merely a loose blouse and some faded trousers. She yawned when she entered the meeting room and went over to the kitchen nook where there were boxes of fresh produce. She decided to let Wolfie rest for the morning and cook on her own.

As she went to chop the onions, she heard shuffling coming from behind her.

She turned her head for a moment and saw an Elezen of handsome complexion. He was quite tall, perhaps taller than Aisling, and he appeared much older, though it could be because of his unshaven face. Her attention was completely upon him as he seemed purely confused about where he was, that and the fact that he was wearing slacks that seemed ill fitting and he lacked a shirt.

"Um..." She began, amazingly he was not half bad for an Elezen.

Hells, he was drop dead gorgeous.

He brushed away his lengthy, raven hair as he approached her.

But upon seeing his eyes, those miss-matched ones and that unforgettable scar, she realized who he was.

"Ragnar?"

"Aye," he managed to say, he was surprised by his own voice. "D...do you have a mirror?"

She stabbed the knife into the chopping board and guided him to her room where there was a long mirror. He examined himself, shocked, as he waved his hand behind his bum as though he were grasping for his missing tail.

"My gods, that is quite the transformation," she giggled,"really handsome."

"Strange not having my tail nor ears," he told her.

She noticed that his nails were quite long and, to add to that, his canines were longer and sharper. Several of his physical traits have been passed into the this form. It made him a unique Elezen, no doubt this new body would help in what they were about to do.

"You'll get used to it," she said,"do none of your clothes fit?"

"No, they were quite tight."

Even his voice had changed. He had lost the characteristic purr that hung in his words, now he spoke like a true Elezen. His tongue seemed to be able to adjust quite easily.

"We'll see if we can have Ham tailor something for you," she assured him. Hesitantly, she pressed a hand onto his bicep, he was warm to the touch and quite built underneath his skin. "Ah, let me see here..."

She went to the old wardrobe and rifled through the clothes for a few moments before finding a loose shirt for him to wear, along with some long trousers. He took them and placed them on quickly. Once snug and fit well for the day, they both left so that she could continue cooking their meal. He sat down at the table and stared at his nails.

Disco went back to chopping the vegetables and soon enough, everything was tossed into the pot over the fire.

Eventually, the door opened and in came Sinclair with Ham trailing behind her, he commented,"Never knew you could cook."

"I try," she said with a shrug. "Wolfie's still tired. Besides, need to do something round here. Ragnar can't cook for his life."

"So I remember," Ham said with a slight grimace.

"How do you fare?" Sinclair asked of Ragnar as she sat across him. She flicked her wrist and one of the kettles that was nestled by the fire came over to her, along with three teacups. Automatically, the tea was poured as they were settled by them, Ragnar took one though he hesitated for a moment- he was still not used to his new body.

"Disorienting for the most part," he admitted. "Why an Elezen? Did I have a choice in this?"

"Depends on what you have dreamed of," she told him as she sipped on her drink. She wore a half mask, it allowed her to drink freely though the rest of her face was a mystery. The mask itself was plain and held nothing too outstanding. From what they could see, hues of amethyst, they seemed to hold more than what she portrayed herself.

He managed to do so as well. "I dreamed of a close friend..."

"Then perhaps that friend is why you became what you are, though I would take it further. Your hair may give you away," she said conversationally.

"Do you require all to strip their identities?"

"If they are not known."

As Disco stirred the pot, she inquired,"How many people are in your Company?"

"Quite a few, though they are busy on their own ventures. We have many eyes and ears throughout Eorzea, you'd be surprised with who is with us," Sincair replied, she seemed to have not a care in her tone. Her eyes flickered towards Ragnar. "I see that he can no longer wear his clothes. We can give him something more appropriate."

She stood up and walked out of the meeting room, at this, Disco huffed,"Strange friend you got there."

"She's more of an associate," Ham said curtly.

"Her sword, she doesn't seem to be a Paladin," Ragnar commented

"That's called a rapier. I take it even through you all have traveled, you have never seen such a blade."

"Aye," she said. She took a break from stirring and went to sit by Ragnar to drink the tea. "Can't imagine what it can do, she's quite skilled in magic. Doing all these things." Disco waved her hand to imitate Sinclair. "Seems like she's showing it off."

Ham clicked his tongue and pulled out a chair for himself. "You were the one who threatened her last night. Let me tell you, she's someone who you'd not wish to fight in person."

"I'd be the judge of that," she said firmly.

"Don't antagonize her," Ragnar warned,"you haven't been a healer in a while, her Aether is something else."

"Ah, yes, you have the ability to see one's Aether," Ham remembered.

"Little trick I picked up from Rhel a while back."

They went quiet for a moment, every so often, Disco would get up and stir, then return to sit down.

She tapped her finger absently on the table as Ragnar went to his quarters to fetch a pipe. He lit it and began to smoke away- it was still quiet. She decided to break the silence by asking,"Does anyone else live here?"

"Sinclair lives in the room in the meeting room. I, myself, have a nice house in the Mists, and everyone else prefers to not be here. For now, all of you are in the guest rooms. You're more than welcome to stay here, lodgings and all," he answered, and by the time he finished, Sinclair arrived with a bundle of black clothes in her hands, along with a pair of boots and some jewelry.

"Compliments of joining us," she told Ragnar as she presented him with his new attire; he placed down his pipe and stood.

He took them and left, she sat back down in her old seat.

"So about your supposed motto," Disco started,"what does it mean exactly?"

"It explains itself," Sinclair said simply.

"Alright? Well, look at me like I am a fool and break it down for me."

"I think you are a fool if you cannot understand it."

Disco perked up, her lip twitched but she held her tongue. She took a deep breath and went on,"Just explain it."

"Think of the Battle of Carteneau," Sinclair proposed,"where do you suppose the weapons and provisions for the three Allied states came from?"

"From the crafters who made them," Disco said. "Companies who were paid to manufacture weapons."

"Yes, but think. A large scale battle with so many hands would be difficult to amass weapons in such a short period. But little to most who know, we have quite the number of crafters with us, and all of these were created before hand in preparation. Each sword, each shield, each lance, bow, even staves, we created it quite before the Battle."

"We as in...how many?"

"Our numbers are not of any of you concern for now. We provided the weapons for war and we let it happen."

"Pardon?"

"When we see any activity out of the ordinary, such as large shipments of raw materials, metals, stones, or certain wood, being shipped across Eorzea, we take action. We let the people think that they had provided themselves with their defenses when in actuality, we are begged of by the Great Leaders to sell them our wares on last moments notice.

"Aldynn, Bloefhiswyn, we even managed to get Kan-E-Senna's wallet, all knew of us and requested for our help. Naturally, we obliged and supplied them. In times of war, no one cares where they get their arms to fight so long as they have them. They think their Leaders are bountiful, we get our coin and go on and wait. But sometimes, war is needed to generate more income for ourselves."

"So...about having nations stand or fall, that's what you people do," she concluded- so this Company are nothing more than ruthless manipulators that operated on a grandscale.

"If needed, we can play a bit into politics but for now, we control markets. That's where we know what is happening. So far, we cannot spark another war or afford to provide for one so long as our enemies continue what they are doing."

"And that is?"

"From what we gathered, a group of people are quite adamant on tearing us down. We've been exposed and there is a leak somewhere in one of us. It's only after the attack on your former Company that we figured something is amiss. Whoever these people are, they are ruining our markets and they are also attacking our associates and members."

"Same people who killed Valencia."

"Very same," Ham confirmed. "We need to take them out before they do that to us. At the moment, we're stunted. While we do our parts to generate war, there are times when we do not have a need. Right now, we don't and if we let these people do what they want, we'll lose control over Eorzea."

Disco finally got up, she went back to her pot and stirred it one more time. She finally got to serve herself and sat down with her meal. "These people will do the same, won't they? So why bother wrestling for power for an entire country?"

"Our way is the only way," Sinclair said firmly, so the woman was capable of showing emotion. "If we let someone else do what they will in the markets, we cannot trust them to not destroy an entire country. Either they will force a war that will end all of us or they will further corrupt the system to a point where we can no longer hold any influence."

"...so your belief is that you defend this realm while filling your pockets with Gil."

"Essentially."

Sinclair seemed to have calmed down.

Disco sighed,"You people are the kind my mother would tell me to avoid."

"You're the one who's an adventurer, no doubt you have met people like us."

"Well...if I were you, I'd keep this from Ragnar. He won't take kindly to know the ins and outs of your operations, the man's had enough of his fair share of your type."

"And he won't need to," Ham said as he got up and served himself and Sinclair.

He sat down and tasted it, his mouth curled in disgust before he spat it out.

"How in the Seven Hells did you fuck up a simple soup?!"

As he shouted, Ragnar entered dressed in a black long coat, thigh-high boots, and a tie. He looked rather stunning in his outfit and as he sat down, Disco offered her soup to him. He shook his head, telling her,"I'll eat in Gridania."

"Is my cooking that horrible?" She asked, slightly offended.

Disco tried her own soup and cringed.

"Alright, new rule," Ham began,"you are not allowed to ever cook."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

It had taken a while for Ragnar to adjust to his new form. At times he accidentally bumped his head against the door frame, he had to accommodate for his height. To add to that, he had to undergo some form of training to keep himself in condition; it was his choice as he woke up every morning to jog through the neighborhood.

On some days, Pax joined him and the two ran in tandem with one another. He went on to meditate with Pax as well in the forests of the Black Shroud, and from what Disco had heard, Ragnar never spoke to Pax in the morning. She was eventually invited on an outing to go hunting near Quarrymill along with Wolfie. With her arrows primed and ready, she rode with them until they arrived at the small outpost.

Woflie had came along with them to in order to stretch her legs. Her healing had improved over the time and she was ready to take on trips, though her body remained a bit scarred from the burns. There was a fading burn on her cheek though she did not mind it as it was expected of her to earn such a mark.

"What's our hunt for today?" Disco asked as they walked into the dense forest.

"Just some deer," Pax answered.

Each of them donned a bow and arrow- while they were trained in other means of fighting, they had enough knowledge of adventurers on how to hunt at the very least. They had simple bows that were in supply back at the base.

Each had forgone their usual armor for simple shirts and slacks so that they could have free movement. Disco stayed at the head of the party as they went on their hunt, the morning had just begun. Her eyes were sharp and keen to detail, soon enough she fell upon fresh tracks on the ground, along with some grass and leaves that have been ripped apart.

She pointed ahead and gave a gesture, signaling them to spread and corner their prey.

Ragnar remained at the back while Wolfie and Pax flanked on both sides, their distance growing further apart.

Disco started heading down the hidden path, she traced the foliage's torn leaves until she stopped and found the buck a hundred yalms away. She lowered herself, crouching, as she approached carefully. This went on for a few dozen yalms before she stopped halfway and waited for the other two to get in position. Notching an arrow, she readied herself and then took aim.

Pulling back the string, she gave enough of a stretch to send her arrow flying.

The tip pierced the buck's shoulder and caused it to skitter frantically, prompting Ragnar to fire as well but he missed.

As for Pax and Wolfie, their arrows were well placed at the flank and then the other shoulder.

It fell to the ground, twitching and still alive as they closed in- Disco took one of Pax's daggers and sliced its throat wide open, spilling its blood along the ground, silencing it. She huffed as she removed her arrow, the others did the same as Pax spoke,"Ragnar, saw you miss back there."

"Damn eye," he replied as he went to sit on a fallen log. "Can't really aim so far. Fire is much easier to manipulate than a simple arrow."

"We ought to get that fixed real soon."

"I'm aware but what can be done?"

"Sinclair has many ways of getting things, she probably has something somewhere," Wolfie suggested.

-...-

"...a new eye?" Sinclair asked when she finished her latest craft of golden rings. She was going to sell them off later but for now, she placed them in a box where the bulk of the merchandise was. As she brushed off the dust from her apron, she wiped her hands on some clean cloth.

They were all in the crafting shop where she and Ham conducted their usual business of working on items to sell off for profit. That or they were stockpiling. Disco leaned against a table, arms crossed, as the sound of Ham grinding away at a sword to sharpen it filled the room with sparks. Woflie and Pax were busy skinning the four deer they had hunted for.

"Yes, he needs one," Disco affirmed.

Sinclair gestured for Ragnar to sit at a chair and he did, she stood by and brought her hand to his cheek to look upon his milky white eye. She scrutinized the damage, her thumb gently grazing over the scar. "I can make him one. Can't have my associates running blind in a mission."

"Will it work?"

"Of course. I can procure the proper materials for this. A glass eye enchanted to see not only what is ahead but what could potentially happen- almost like a telescope to see in finer detail."

Ragnar retorted,"I merely need one to see."

"Only the best for the best. He hasn't been blind for a long time, has he?" She asked as she went to ketch some calipers. She started measuring his eye.

"It was only recent that he had gone blind there," Disco filled in,"we can't have a handicap with us for what we are about to do."

Disco brought her finger to her lip.

Now that she thought about it, they had not been given any assignments.

"What _are_ we to do?"

"Barely here and you wish to be put to work, now that is a quality I can support," Sinclair commented. She was still measuring. "Nothing covert for now, we do not have the authority anymore to control the markets as much as we did but there are few things we can do to ensure business keeps going."

She put the calipers down and went to the table Disco was leaning against. On it were several scrolls, she took one and unrolled it.

"We have money that is owed to us by several merchants in Limsa Lominsa. I do not like debtors who do not pay on time. Two people should suffice for now, there are over a dozen men and women there that need to be reminded who we are," she said conversationally. "Do bring the money home and please, do not kill them. I care not about what you do to get the money but I do care that they live. A dead body cannot conduct deals with us."

"So a shake down," Disco surmised, Sinclair nodded. "Simple enough. Ragnar, do you wish to go? It's good for you to stretch your legs."

It was also a good time to speak to him, also, perhaps antagonizing people will do him good to release his anger.

"May as well," Ragnar said with a shrug. "Who is to accompany me?"

"Myself, of course!" She said with a smile.

He did not return that as he said,"I will pack my bag."

-...-

The gulls filled the skies with their numbers, the scent of the sea overcame them, it was like life had never changed here as the people went about their days doing business or shopping. In a port city like this, all walks of life came, along with the goods they brought.

They were given a month to finish their work but the moment they set foot in the port city, Disco declared it as a time to at least explore. Ragnar reluctantly came with her but became more convinced when she reminded him that his stock to smoke had gone low. He considered it and agreed as she took him by the wrist and dragged him through Hawker's Alley.

"Goodness, there's so much stuff to be bought here," she said as they stopped at a stall that sold attires.

She took one of wine red and held it up to Ragnar's neck- it was frilly and had the appearance of a seafarer's style.

"Hm, you do look dashing in it," she giggled, he gave her an incredulous look as she smirked and placed it back. She was going through the clothes, picking them up to either try it on herself or hold it up to Ragnar. For the most part, he gave a slight smile yet he held that saddened expression. "Will you buy clothes for yourself? Think about it, wouldn't hurt to have a couple outfits for any situation. Besides, Sinclair gave us a million Gil each to shop for business only."

"I suppose you are correct," he admitted, he began to browse through, picking up an outfit that was simple. He held it in his arm as he wandered around picking up all sorts of outfits. From fancy to subtle, he had about six or so while Disco had taken a dozen. "You are going to defend me if she questions us, yes?"

"Of course I will! Don't worry about it!" She said easily as they waited in line.

An hour went on as they shopped a bit more.

They reached the stalls were exotic pets were being sold.

Disco fancied herself with the little birds that cooed softly to her. She giggled when one nibbled on her finger affectionately as Ragnar watched nonchalantly before his sights were set on several creatures that wriggled in their cages. He only seemed to have an attachment to his Gigantpole so when he saw many bunched in a large cage, he leaned down and poked his finger between the bars.

For once, when Disco saw him, he was smiling- the sadness seemed to ebb away for a moment.

She sighed, there was hope for him.

He stayed there for a while until he tore himself away from them to finally look at the other creatures for sale.

He stopped dead in front of a pen, it was enough for Disco to come over. "What's in here?"

"I...I've seen these in the Sea of Clouds, they were quite adorable but I never knew that they could be pets," he said, amazed.

In the pen were a dozen or so Paissa, all were small and clearly not mature. They bounced about, some of them stumbled over, others rolled. Ragnar was compelled to reach down and pick one up, he held it in his arms as its little arms waved at him.

He let it nuzzle into his stubble as he began to show pure joy. Disco couldn't help but give a small,"Aaaw."

"I...I like these," he said softly.

He played with its tiny hands with his fingers. He rubbed its belly and it gave a small chirp of happiness.

The stall owner saw him holding one so affectionately, she approached and said,"They are hard to come by, just got my shipment for the first time in months. Quite unique creatures, are they not?"

"How much?" Ragnar asked quickly.

"...about half a million, again, rare."

He got his bag of money and handed it to her. "Half a million here. Can you reserve them for me?"

"I can try, how many?"

"All."

"Sir, that is, well...I suppose."

He gave her contact information and completed the transaction along with a letter telling her that he would purchase them later and bring them with him.

As they walked away from the stall with Ragnar holding his new friend, Disco wondered how she would explain this to Sinclair when they returned.

They decided to have supper at the Bismark where culinarians flocked to learn the craft or perfect it. He ordered some aldgoat steak while she had dodo breast, both of their meals were simple to not break their budget as Ragnar spent all of his for that damn Paissa.

As they ate, Ragnar's eye scanned the area.

"I see one of our targets," he said lowly, he subtly pointed to the right behind Disco with his fork. She glanced back for a moment and then brought out the list that contained the description and how much they owed- a detailed sketch drawn my Sinclair accompanied it.

An Elezen male, auburn hair cut short, a scar over his right cheek, and often carrying a hammer for smithing.

"Matches," she said. "Corner him or follow him?"

"I don't want to make a scene, we ought to just follow him until we get somewhere isolated," he said.

"Good plan but what about our things?" She inquired.

Ragnar snapped his fingers and a waiter came over- she raised a brow. Only Aisling did that and he only did that in Ishgard. Perhaps Ragnar was trying to learn the part.

A young woman came over and he said,"My retainer, Fafnir, can you fetch him for me?"

"Yes, sir, and your name?"

"Ragnar Langnar," he said.

She left and within a few minutes, his retainer arrived.

"Um, sir, are you sure you are Ragnar Langnar?" Fafnir asked, confused at the Elezen who claimed to be his superior.

"Look, I had a long day, just take my damn things and leave until I call you back."

"Well, if you could name one item that Ragnar has that I possess, I will accept you as who you are."

"...you have a Gigantpole that I caught some summers ago, I asked for it in Ul'dah and then returned it to you before I left for Ishgard," Ragnar recalled, the retainer slowly nodded. "Is that enough?"

Fafnir paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Good, now pick up this and go," he ordered.

"Sir, is there anything else you need?" He said after he carried their clothes.

"Nothing more, thank you, Fafnir," Ragnar said, shooing him away easily. "And take my Paissa for a moment."

He left.

"Never knew retainers had to have a confirmation phrase," Disco commented as she sipped on her wine.

"Neither had I..."

His attention drifted away from her as he watched the Elezen stand up and pay for his meal.

"He's moving," was all he said as he kept his eyes trained on him.

Disco finished her cup and then stood, she gave a small bag as payment to a passing maid and the two began to follow their target.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

His name was Reginald.

Disco stuck close to Ragnar as they kept a good distance.

This Reginald person seemed to be heading home for the night since he ignored Hawker's Alley, going through without stopping. The people were beginning to thin as shops were beginning to close but there was always the ruckus stemming from rowdy sailors. Both remained silent as they followed, though Ragnar nudged Disco gently on her shoulder- her eyes followed his hand and saw he was tapping his fingers against the handles of Pax's daggers.

She handed him one and he sheathed it under his coat flap.

Another ilm of going through the city finally brought them to an alleyway on the West side.

Disco ducked out of site as she took to taking an adjacent alley that paralleled Reginald's path. She rounded the corner and blocked his way- she had drawn her bow and notched an arrow.

The Elezen stopped dead in his tracks, he was taken aback by her and so figured to turn around, only to have Ragnar in his way.

"Here to rob me, eh?" Reginald spat, he reached for his hammer. "What do you people want?"

"Payment," Disco called to him, she quickly produced the list and read it. "Reginald, Blacksmith of Limsa Lominsa, currently dealing in- oh my, what a boring thing- drug distribution. Says here you hit a snag approximately three months ago when your shipment was stolen so you went to Corvus for a loan to restock. Well, time's up, big guy, so you gotta pay."

"You must have the wrong guy," he snorted.

"Do we?" Ragnar said, he was slightly astonished though it was pure sarcasm. He brought his hand up and conjured a ball of flame in his palm, it shot out immediately at the man's wrist and forced him to drop his hammer. Stunned, he gave Ragnar an opening to grasp his wrist and swirl him around in order to pin him against the wall by his front, his arm was twisted back.

Disco raised a brow- he must have learned something from Pax during his morning runs.

He shoved the knife between the debtor's neck and the wall as he leaned forward and paused in his movements. She approached slowly, confused at what he was doing as the Elezen gasped and struggled to get out of his grip- his free hand grasped at the wall.

There was a rasping noise coming from Ragnar, his eyes closed and then they reopened, though they were hooded halfway.

"You are Reginald and you do owe money," Ragnar growled. "Now quit wasting our time and just hand it."

"Damn freak-"

"You have four children and a lovely wife, it wouldn't do you well if something were to happen to them now would it?"

"Corvus never goes after families!" Reginald uttered.

"Times change."

Immediately Reginald yielded,"Arlight, alright...take the damn Gil."

"Three million, I believe," Disco briefed him, though she was slightly disturbed by what Ragnar had done.

"It's on me," Reginald replied,"in my knapsack."

She quickly rifled through his possessions and pulled out three bags of gold. She placed it into Ragnar's bag and, once secured, Ragnar threw the man to the floor and walked away. As Reginald held his throat, Disco smirked at him and waved goodbye, warning him,"Don't be late next time."

Jogging up to Ragnar's side, she walked beside him in silence until they arrived at the inn. He was readying to head up the stairs but she grabbed his wrist and held him back, he turned and had a look of realization as he said,"Oh, right, here." He handed her Pax's dagger and tried to walk up, she still held him. "What is it?"

"What you did back there, you used the Echo, didn't you?" Disco said, he did not reply so she pressed on. "You did. There was no mention of family on the list."

"I did use it," he admitted with a shrug. "I sought the truth and it came, is that a problem?"

"You just exploited it, a gift from the gods," she stated with a slight frown. It did not sit well with her. For as long as she traveled, she attempted to use any gift she obtained for the good of everyone around her. She had taken part in adventures with Ragnar before, countless ones, and none of it had to deal with criminality.

Sure, a shake down, that was a mission, but to use the Echo to help it along?

She never thought of it to be used in such a way that corrupted the initial purpose of it and, having just witnessed its misuse, it was disturbing. From what Rhel'ir had told her about her studies, by law of the power, it should not be able to be called upon. She had tried several times to activate it but not once did it come, only when the unexpected happened.

"I'm not exploiting it if I master it," he reasoned,"now let me go. We have a busy day tomorrow."

Reluctantly, she released him and he left without uttering a "good-night", she was left standing in the stairwell.

What else had he learned?

-...-

Days were filled of locating their targets to finish their job.

Disco never brought up his abuse of the Echo and she never stopped him- he was stronger than her now after all. She kept quiet and watched out for authorities whenever he dealt their debtors. A month had passed and, like the efficient workers they are, they were boarding their ship to head home. While they brought their shopping and Gil with them, Ragnar had his special crate delivered to him.

Throughout the week out at sea, he would feed them and keep to himself, leaving Disco bored.

She had no interest in interacting with him after this job, at least not for a while.

She balked at the idea of his power but, again, she said nothing.

As they arrived, finally, at the Lavender Beds, they were greeted by a smiling Wolfie and Ham.

"You're back!" Wolfie said, she went to hug Disco, her friend returned that in kind before being helped with the sacks of Gil.

Ham leaned against the fence while smoking a pipe, he took a drag and then pointed his pipe at the crate Ragnar was wheeling up to the cottage. "What's in there?"

"Nothing of importance."

"Pretty big importance if you're trying to hide it," Ham snorted, he went to it as the two women brought the money inside.

Disco gave a half smile to Wolfie as she told her,"We had such a fun time there. We bought clothes for the job, I even got you and Pax a couple outfits as well."

"Was it an easy job?"

She easily lied,"It was. Feels good to have all this Gil on me though."

They entered the basement and dropped off the Gil in a safe so that Sinclair could count them later. Disco even placed the list on a nearby table, it was completed with red marks crossing out their targets. She finally sat down as Wolfie gave her some grog to calm the nerves.

"You alright, Disco?" Woflie asked.

"Me? Oh, yeah, I just- where is Pax?"

"Training outside, you didn't see him since he's on the roof."

Disco scoffed. Of course he was there.

Before Woflie can inquire further about Disco's state, there was a loud bang from the first floor with Ham's voice shouting,"Sinclair! Get over here!"

Without missing a beat, Sinclair rushed out of her private chambers and dashed passed the women. In turn, they followed suit to find Ragnar and Ham outside with the Elezen's arms filled with three Paissa. Inside, a few Paissa were hopping and peeping their heads just at the edge of the crate. Sinclair stood still as Disco meekly started with a slight laugh,"Funny thing in Limsa. There was a stall-"

"Please tell me you didn't spend your entire budget on these things," Sinclair deadpanned.

"I did," Ragnar answered.

She remained silent for a moment before suddenly bursting out,"WE CAN'T AFFORD THIS!"

"I paid for the rest of them! Only one was paid with the budget!" He defended them by stepping between Sinclair and the crate.

"HOW MUCH!?"

"Each were half a million," Disco said.

"THERE ARE A DOZEN IN HERE, THAT IS OVER SIX MILLION GIL! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, RAGNAR!?"

"Sinclair, calm down," Ham began, he brought his hands to her shoulders but she slapped them away.

"Calm down? _CALM DOWN_!?"

Disco added,"He used his own money! He's broke now but at least he owes you half a million!"

"HE IS WHAT!?"

Pax's roaring laughter came from the roof, he had heard and watched all of this and he was laying down, holding his stomach. He exclaimed between his howls,"He's poor _and_ in debt again!?"

"I can make the money back! It is quite alright!" Ragnar reassured her. "Disco spent her budget on clothes! Yell at her!"

"Don't throw me under the wagon, Ragnar! We need them for work!" Disco countered, offended. "What happened to-"

"SHE SPENT IT ON THINGS SHE NEEDED TO BENEFIT US! YOU SPENT YOUR MONEY AND MINE TO BUY THESE...THESE THINGS!"

The Paissa stopped bouncing at this point- the ones in Ragnar's arms cowered and huddled close to his chest, he said in a hushed tone,"Please lower your voice, you're scaring them-"

"NO! JUST...JUST NO!"

"Sinclair, you really need to calm down before you have a stroke," Ham said,"plus, you're making a scene."

Sinclair pointed at the crate. "I'm making a scene!? These things are making a scene!"

This went on for an hour before Sinclair decided enough was enough. She allowed Ragnar to keep these creatures for now but she had left them fuming. Disco blew some air through her lips as she fanned herself. She never expected such an outburst from their new leader, and in truth, she was much more stingier than Bach.

She had left them with words that were along the lines of figuring out what to put Ragnar to work on to make his money back. Ham merely shook his head and followed her back inside the cottage as the rest of them gathered around the crate. Wolfie reached in and picked one up, only for it to cling to her out of fear of Sinclair's voice.

Ragnar bent low to comfort all of them and they each clung to his long arms. He spoke in hushed tones,"It's alright, little ones, that mean woman is gone. You won't get hurt, I promise you..."

"They're so adorable and awfully soft," Wolfie commented quietly as she snuggled one.

Pax had finally calmed down and he found the sense to leap off the roof and land right by Disco. She watched as the two interacted with Ragnar's new children while she told Pax,"I warned him not to do it."

"First it was Gigantpoles, now it's Paissa," Pax huffed, he was still grinning like a moron. "You sure you tried to stop him?"

"I thought he would settle for one but apparently not," she told him.

Ragnar bounced two in his arms now as they chirped hesitantly, he asked of Wolfie,"Can you make something for them to eat? They are quite tired."

"Oh, can I hold one while I make it?" She asked.

"Go ahead," he sat as he sat down. He started pulling the Paissa out of the crate so that they could roam the lawn. He had a warm smile as they tumbled and wandered a bit before rushing back for comfort. "Oh dear...I ought to start naming them..."

"Aaaaand here we go," Disco groaned, she tugged Pax's arm,"let's get out of here."

Pax nodded and he was dragged along until they reached a marketboard. While she had no interest to buy anything, she just needed to be away from Ragnar for now. She leaned against the board as Pax browsed the advertisements. "So other than Ragnar magically attaining a dozen children, how did your mission go?"

"Well," Disco started,"it wasn't what I expected. We did the job but he...he exploited the Echo on those who lied."

"Used it like it appeared?"

"I think he's doing it at will."

Pax clicked his tongue. "That's not supposed to happen. Rhel'ir said it was random."

"...I dunno, I spent a good amount of time with him. One moment he's relaxed and, at times, cracks a smile, then suddenly he just gets..I feel like he becomes dangerous."

"Not to you, you know he would never hurt you," Pax assured her, he finally looked at her. "Did you ask him about this Echo?"

"...he said that it's not an exploitation if he masters it," she said,"it doesn't make sense but I mean we have the Echo ourselves and how often does it appear?" Pax could not answer that. "Rare. Yet there he was using it almost every other day. Did you...by chance, teach him this?"

"Why would I teach something to use that only the gods can allow?" Pax said in disbelief. "He must have figured out a way. I could try to find out next time we train together-"

"I want this between you and me, Pax," she said. "...you and I, Ragnar, we're not the type to engage in criminal activity. We can do it but we just don't normally would have. I have a feeling that Ham must have told Sinclair ahead of time about our powers...maybe that's why she accepted us so easily into her organization. It's so that she can use us."

"We are being paid for this," he reminded her. "When you were gone, she had us do shake downs in Ul'dah. Earned three million each and we were done."

"You must have had an easier time because of the Darkness, but Ragnar is using the Echo at will and he elected to not be paid."

Pax nodded slowly. "That's a rather good point."

"What are we to do?"

"We can't stop him from using the Echo...think of it as a positive use, the sooner he gets done with this business, the sooner we can leave. How about that?"

"...I suppose I could look at it this way."

"And also, should we have to interrogate people, no one gets hurt. He can exploit the target and we can have clean hands."

"He did use only threats, he never actually harmed anyone now that I think about it..."

Pax reached over and placed a hand at her shoulder. "Then it's a good thing, Disco."

"I hope you're right about this."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

Collections were what they did for the next month and a half.

Debtors who recognized them immediately handed the money without qualm, allowing Disco brief moments of reprieve from having to watch Ragnar shake them down. They had spent some time in Limsa Lominsa and lo and behold, a guard had arrived when the two tried to embark on their leave to home.

"Is there a problem?" Ragnar inquired politely, Disco had noticed that he had taken on Aisling's rhetoric whenever they had dealings with civilians. For all she could know, it was an illusion.

"The Admiral would like a word with you and the lass," the guard said gruffly.

"And I do not want to see her," he replied in kind,"now if you excuse us, we have a-"

"It was not a suggestion."

Disco chewed on her bottom lip.

She never did like clashing with authority not in her chain in command unless it were on the battlefield.

-...-

The Admiral was in her office today.

Flanked by her guards and advisor, she stood with her back to them as she stared out into her city. Hands behind her back, she did not need to look to know who they were. Ragnar and Disco stayed together, she wondered how can an authority give a damn about mere shakedowns considering her entire city was composed of pirates.

Perhaps it was the threat that Ragnar gave to every one of the men and women he exploited. Disco folded her arms and looked away; maybe he had gone too far on the last ones.

"So you two are the ones who have been terrorizing my merchants," Merlwyb started.

"Did they neglect to tell you who we are?"

She finally turned around, she held that glare to Ragnar as he was the only one who spoke,"I fully know who you are."

"Do you?...I have my rights to do as I will in your city, do you not remember?"

"Pardon?" She asked, she scoffed. "I don't remember giving you the keys, much less even seen your face."

"I am the one who crushed the Garleans. I am the one who led the charges into the Castrum. I am the one who defeated Titan. I am the one who was banished to the North. I am the one who you, Admiral, had refused to give refuge to when I needed it most. I am the one who carried the burden of being your savior."

"Impossible. The Warrior of Light was of the Miqo'te!"

"It is true!" Disco blurted out, but Merlwyb held a hand up to silence her but she continued,"Ask him what only the Warrior would know of you!"

"Who was the one I lost dearly in Battle in Carteneau?"

He thought for a moment, then he answered,"Your steed Vicky, you told me of her when we spoke of our losses."

"...so you are Ragnar...I thought all this time you had perished yet here you are," she mused, she began to relax, her anger slowly ebbing away. Her tone changed, there was a hint of disappointment. "So you changed your appearance and joined an unsavory group, did you?"

Ragnar huffed,"Says you. But for the most part, that is how it went."

"And you earned yourself a job of threatening my merchants, you have odd plans for retirement," she said. "Normally I protect my people, punishment goes to those who dare bring harm to them, real or not. I can't make an example out of you considering that we are all in debt to you, so I suppose I should let you go on this one."

"That does not mean I am no longer in your debt, Merlwyb," he countered firmly before she could send them out,"I ask for something else instead and then I will never be a bother to you or your people."

Disco raised a brow, she glanced at him, confused. Where was he going with this?

"Your request depends on what it is, tell me," she said with a nod.

"If you had not noticed, most of your markets are being monopolized. Weapons in particular, I'm curious to know when was the last time you have seen the insignia of Corvus."

She remained quiet for a moment, she began to pace, her mind wrapping around his question. Disco shifted a bit from where she stood, her weight moving from foot to foot- Ragnar, however, stayed still. Eventually, the Admiral paused and spoke,"Mealvaan's Gate have reported such an occurrence where products from Corvus no longer flowed in. It was over three years ago from what I recall, back to the incident in Ul'dah. It was overnight that the seal had left."

"And so what is it now?"

"...the seal of Lolorito Nanarito," she said.

"Our debt is repaid," Ragnar quickly said, he turned heel and stormed out of the office as Disco stared at the Admiral incredulously.

Before Disco could speak, the Admiral cut her off, telling her,"Leave."

-...-

The trip back was filled with silence.

He had spent most of his time in the cabin and when she saw him upon their arrival back in Gridania, he kept to himself. She remembered him telling her about Lolorito, how he dismantled Alphinaud's dream and how he brought chaos into Ul'dah. How he caused Ragnar's grief yet the man blamed Alphinaud for all of his misfortune.

Even Pax and Wolfie were absent, much to Disco's dismay.

She followed him as he thundered up the steps and into the house of Corvus, into the meeting room where Sinclair was drinking her afternoon tea as Ham smoked. Disco had no chance to warn Sinclair of Ragnar's wrath as he shouted,"Our enemy is Lolorito!?"

Calmly, Sinclair gave a curt nod,"Indeed he is. It is surprising it took you this long."

Ragnar's hand was reaching for his staff but Disco had managed to catch up to take a hold of his wrist, she asked,"Why had you withheld that?"

"Three reasons," Ham started after he blew a puff of smoke into the air. "One, you see how he's reacting? That's enough for him to blindly go off and try to kill the man. By that, he wouldn't make it pass the front gate of his home if he just goes in. And two, none of you other than Pax are cut for this line of work. Take this as an extensive exercise- information is not given so easily. This isn't just a hunt where you search for obvious signs.

"You must seek out information yourself, no matter how you attain it. Finding the identity of your target is easy, knowing everything about your target is entirely different. How did he figure this out, Disco?"

She told him dryly,"He asked whose insignia had appeared on the shipment coming in to Limsa. Yours had been missing for three years and replaced by another."

"Smart," Sinclair praised him,"even simply asking can do amazing wonders."

"Regardless, you should have told us, told me of all people," Ragnar pressed on. "I must-"

"And the third...similar to the first, now that you have a name, what are you going to do? Waltz in there and set everything ablaze?" Ham taunted him, he placed his pipe down. "What makes you think they won't strike you down? Sure, you have a new face but any wrong move and they slit your throat. You need help, Ragnar, help that can get you where you need to go."

"Your forget that these sort of organizations have more heads than one," Sinclair added,"you kill Lolorito, who will stop another to take his place, hm? We must dismantle them from the bottom up. It has been a while since Corvus had done this put it is entirely possible, we just need the time, resources, and the hands to do this."

Ragnar began to relax under Disco's grip- she released him and let him go sit across from the two.

She sighed and went to the wine rack to take two bottles, one of which she gave to him and the other for herself. "Since we passed your test, I take it we should be rewarded with who our exact targets are."

"That can be done right here and now," Sinclair said as she reached into her coat pocket and produced a scroll. "Pax and Wolfie have done most of the work identifying who they are."

"I thought they were doing collections," Disco said, she was slightly perplexed as she watched Ragnar unroll it- the penmanship was that of Pax.

"If we told you two what they were really doing, Ragnar would have protested and we wouldn't have the money we needed," Ham casually reasoned with a shrug. He picked up his pipe once more and began to smoke languidly.

Ragnar's eye read each profile of the people Pax had found, he looked at it for a good few minutes as Sinclair began to go down the list from memory,"Five people in total we must dispose of by any means necessary.

"Selwyn the Smith, he oversees the production and distribution of weapons and armor, illegal arms as well. He operates in Ul'dah and maintains a lavish lifestyle, however he does spend most of his time working alongside his employees. Hard worker but unsavory, he only accepts perfection and delivers punishment to those who fail to achieve it.

"B'rohdih, he is Lolorito's banker. He controls Lolorito's assets and ensures money flows well into their organization. From what I hear, he's a greedy bastard who does more loans than I; his ways of collection are so brutal that most of the lowlifes come to me instead. If you fail to pay, you may as well forfeit your own life. Amazingly, he is often seen at the Gold Saucer betting on the races.

"Herrig the Slaver. His occupation is what his name suggests. Lolorito doesn't exactly pay his workers to provide resources for his goods. He kidnaps refugees from Ala Mhigo and force them to work outside of Ul'dah at a mine hidden in the mountains. Disgusting that he enslaves his own kind but then again, man is corrupt. Should we liberate the workers, we can possibly have an edge and cause a rebellion, that should keep the bastards busy.

"Alban, Lolorito's commander for his forces. Guards, soldiers, sellswords, this man controls them all. He was a Dragoon in Ishgard but he defected several years ago. He trains his men day in and day out, I do not have to tell you how lethal this man can possibly be. His training in the North had made him hardy in battle, not only is he skilled with a lance but a sword and shield are also part of his repertoire. He is often by Lolorito's side.

"Finally, Riqe the Shadow, Lolorito's eyes and ears, his personal assassin as well. Competition means death when Lolorito hears of you setting foot into his markets. Born in the Forgotten Springs, she's a natural hunter, perhaps rivaling all of the Godsbow in Gridania. This person may be of interest to you, Ragnar, after all, she is the one responsible for the attack on Rekt and those other countless attempts on Ham."

Ham snorted,"The whore has been a thorn on my side for years. Be nice to see her gone and for me to go on the street without noise."

"This Riqe," Ragnar repeated,"where can we find her?"

"It was difficult at first," Sinclair said,"however, Pax managed to track her down. She visits her home in the Forgotten Springs once every two months. Right now, Pax and Wolfie are posted there and are waiting for her to arrive, though it may require more hands. I'm sending you and Disco out there to take care of the situation."

Disco clicked her tongue and shook her head,"We would stand out easily."

"Which is why you two will be dressing up. Given that Pax and Wolfie are both Miqo'te, they had been given permission to be married there. The celebrations call for friends and family to come, do they not? In the middle of it all, you two can take care of this and we can move on to the next. We need to be rid of Riqe given she will seek us immediately should Lolorito's men fall-"

"Wait, Woflie and Pax!?" Disco blurted out. "Married?"

"...ugh," Sinclair let out,"they have gotten rather...close over the course of time we had them here-"

"They keep rutting like it's nothing, keeps Sinclair awake at night," Ham grunted,"rather an annoyance but what can we do? They do good work in the field."

"By the gods," Disco said, she chuckled and shook her head. "My Wolfie, all grown up, married before myself? Goodness..."

Sinclair stood up, ignoring Disco's blubbering remarks. "You two will go there as friends. Use your clothes that you bought at Limsa Lominsa and depart as soon as possible." She went to a drawer and pulled out two tickets for airships. "Take the airship in Gridania, then prepare for a long trek to the Forgotten Sands. Good hunting, you two."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

Disco dreaded the desert.

It was hot, little to no shade, and water was a rarity.

What was even worse was that the wedding was in the heart of it. She could not complain about the wedding itself, it was simply the location that irked her. In all her travels, she avoided Thanalan as much as possible and so the location of the Forgotten Springs was never known to her. She covered herself with thin scarves to keep the sun off of her skin.

In turn, Ragnar did the same- he even wore that silken outfit he had received from Alphinaud back in Ishgard. He had covered only his head and left his arms bare, he claimed that he was use to the heat and he had full knowledge of all areas within Eorzea with the exception of Abalathia's Spine, Coerthas and Dravania.

They had forgone Little Ala Mhigo as Ragnar had told her that he wanted no business with those he aided. Now they were merely in the canyons where those horrid lizard beast-folk roamed and made themselves a home.

"What are we to do when we get there? Hunt the Shadow down?"

"I do not want to cause much problems for killing one of their kin without consent, especially since Wolfie is from that tribe in particular," Ragnar told her as he rode by her. "I have spent a good amount of time there. From what I recall from the leader, they have a strong justice system. Blood for blood, as they say. The case should be sound enough, I am the defendant, she is the offender."

"So you're relying on their rules to kill her?"

Ragnar gave a nod, she went close to him but remained silent.

-...-

The Forgotten Springs was more than Disco ever expected.

Water was abundant here, and it was almost like a paradise seeing the feline folk bathe happily under the sun. She watched as a few women were splashing about in the water, laughing, as travelers and miners tried to sneak a peak. Other than the younger ladies wading in the water, the older ones and a lot more were preparing the humble home for the festivities.

Drakes and worms that were hunted in the desert were put on display on the paths, some women were arguing over who had the largest prize.

It was strange for Disco to see so many women in one place, they were strong and independent, not a single man was in sight save for the visitors.

A chocobo handler appeared from the stables and approached them, her hands grabbing their reins as they dismounted. Ragnar handed her several Gil and she went off to attend to their mounts. He stretched a bit, cracking his wrists, and yawned, he sniffed the air and commented,"It does not smell like it used to..."

Disco audibly tried to smell, her nostrils trying to take in the scent. "...smells of perfume."

"Suppose this new bodies has new senses as well, shame I can no longer see in the dark," he chuckled,"hm...Pax would be living in a separate tent. Outside males cannot enter this place unless there is good reason."

As a Miqo'te walked by, he stopped her by grabbing her shoulder.

Disco heard him speak in another tongue, though he had trouble when the woman raised one ear and a brow in confusion.

He coughed a bit and tried once more, adding a forced purr into his voice. Her ears perked up and she nodded, pointing at the building on the Northeast end, then up on the second floor. He thanked her and motioned for Disco to come along as the woman parted ways with them. She told him,"Interesting language you have there."

"My tongue would not let me speak my mother's tongue," he huffed, they climbed up the stairs to find several tents set up at the roof.

In them, various foods were being prepared and, among the women cooking, Wolfie was there. She was skinning a Drake as Disco called to her,"Wolfie!"

She looked up and dropped her knife and the beast, she rushed over to her, hands covered in blood. Wolfie threw her arms around her, mindful of her stained hands, as she exclaimed,"Finally you two get here!" Disco patted her back. "Oh, you're just in time too, I need to skin five more of these for tomorrow!"

"We just got here, let us rest," Ragnar said, Wolfie let go of Disco so she could embrace him. He picked her up and swung her around before letting her down, he laughed as she playfully punched his chest. "So you and Pax...is it certain?"

"Indeed it is!" She said with a broad smile, but she held her tongue from speaking more about the reasons for being here. She shouted over her shoulder in her tongue to several of the women cooking, they waved her away and allowed her to take off her apron and leave. She led them down the stairs and around the building to where none were.

A few chairs and a table were there, they sat down as Wolfie poured them some wine.

"About the Shadow...she is due to return home tonight," she told them as she handed Ragnar his drink. He obliged as he took his pipe out and filled it. "Ragnar, you are familiar with tradition here, yes?"

"I have spent some time here," he said softly. "Which one do you speak of?"

"The Duel Under the Sun."

"It's the trial one, correct?"

"No, the one for challenging the U when you are an outsider and you come to fight for your mate and your place in the tribe as its leader."

"...that I do not remember."

"Should you win, you can earn leadership and your mate, should you lose, you and your mate are cast out to start your own tribe."

"Hm..."

"I had explained to my father of the circumstances of Pax's Darkness...while whatever you people did up in Ishgard helped him, I do not want him to fight my father."

Disco took several sips, she watched her as she sat down by her. "You're afraid he will be consumed by blood lust?"

"Indeed, him having the Darkness gives too much power. When he fights, he controls it yet at the same time it envelopes around him. I had several incidents in Ul'dah when he lost his control, but only when he was provoked. My father is a strong man for having take down two Primals, though Pax is another thing entirely."

Ragnar folded his hands over his chest as he leaned back. "He's a Warrior of Light just like myself and Disco. With that and the Darkness, he could lay waste to any opponent."

Wolfie gave a single nod in agreement. "Then we have to account for the fact that he and I will not reside here even if he should win. Killing the U will not benefit anyone. As a result, my father agreed to have substitutes for the Duel Under the Sun."

"And Riqe? How will she fit in?"

"I...grew up with her," Wolfie admitted, Ragnar's eyes flashed in silent rage as he looked directly at her. "She is my half-sister, just like the other women here. Knowing her, she will gladly take up the fight in place of our father. Out of all of us, she stands close to tradition."

They remained quiet, Ragnar's foot bounced a bit against the sand, he was lost in thought over what will happen. Disco, however, shifted a bit in her seat. Their target was related to Wolfie, she wondered what went through Wolfie's mind when she discovered who the Shadow truly was. And so, after a few minutes, she asked of her,"Are you willing to let her die?"

"...she is family, but it does not account for the atrocities she had committed," Wolfie began,"I just...it does not suit me well. Here, should any transgression occur, the offender must pay in accordance to the crime they had done. It applies to all Children of the Sand."

"Blood for blood," Ragnar murmured.

"I had explained our situation to my father. Not that we are a part of Corvus, no, but the fact that Riqe had murdered dozens, among them was Valencia...I told him of your loss, Ragnar, and so he called her back. One life for another. You are not a man who works for an organization, to my father, you are a man who had been wronged and must be payed in full. He...consented to her death by your hands alone."

"So a public execution?" Disco said, she drank some more.

Wolfie shook her head. "We will go by tradition and make her death a part of the Duel, none will have to know of what Riqe had done. She will die adhering to tradition and honor-"

At this point, Ragnar slammed his mug against the table, he caused the women to jump in their seats while the wine bottle tumbled off and fell to the sand. He growled,"Why let her die in honor when she should die in shame and in punishment!?"

"Sinclair ordered it so!" Wolfie snapped, she stood up and stomped over to him. She grabbed him by his collar and leaned down, her fangs were bare and close to his face. "Use your brain, Ragnar. If we come out here with the sole purpose was to put Riqe on trial and execute her, our enemy would question why and we will be exposed. Having her die in a traditional battle will not raise suspicion! It has to be an accident and that is how we work!"

In turn, he lowly growled and brought his hand to swipe away her wrist. She let him free, he stood up and towered over her.

She continued,"Ragnar, I know you want justice but _listen_ to me! You are no longer an adventurer, you no longer follow your own creed, you are bound by the rules Sinclair set for us and if she wants something done a certain way, then godsdamned, we will make it happen perfectly! Do you understand me, Ragnar?"

He remained silent.

Wolfie barked,"Do you understand me!?"

"...clear," he hissed, he turned heel and stormed away.

"Where are you going!?" She pressed on.

"Away from you, it appears that Pax has brought influence to you!"

When he disappeared around the corner, Disco merely had the wine to her lips. She remained wide eyed as Wolfie, the one who she had seen as a motherly type, kind and warm, employ the same tactic that Pax had used to snap Ragnar into place. She continued to sip timidly as Wolfie sat herself back and with a sigh of frustration.

Gently, she placed the mug on the table and then leaned over to pick up the spilled bottle. As she rubbed away the sand, she managed to say,"He is right, you know." Wolfie shot her a look, to that Disco added,"You take after Pax is what I mean. You were right about the whole thing, just...you kept his foot in line."

"It takes a strong hand," Wolfie snorted, she took her drink back. "How has he been with you?"

"Oh...brooding, quiet, made him laugh a couple times but damn his Paissas, dear gods. He cradles them to sleep...other than that, he's been dedicated to what we're trying to do."

Wolfie leaned against the table, her fingers dancing on the rim of her mug. She decided to carry on the conversation,"...my father agreed to remain silent should he be questioned by Lolorito or his men regarding Riqe's death."

"You never answered my question in full earlier."

"Hm?"

"Are you alright with letting her die?"

"I thought I answered it enough," Wolfie said with a grimace. "I will not be pleased about this but what must be done must be done. Yes, we grew up together, hunted together, everything, but for her to choose the wrong path in life, to use our mother's teachings to take lives instead of beasts...I cannot live knowing that. But I cannot live knowing what she had done. I will not let our teachings be used for the corrupt."

Disco closed her eyes.

At least she was comforted by the fact Wolfie will not avenge Riqe's scheduled death. It was justice at its best and Wolfie understood the idea of paying the price of a life.

"Your father...is it alright for him to know of Ragnar's new face?"

"Ragnar is a common name, he is someone else and will not be recognized...but now that I think of it, I think it is better to think of a new name for him."

"New name, eh? He revealed himself to the Admiral a few weeks ago..."

"He did? It should not be a problem, according to our audiences with the Grand Company leaders, they do not favor Lolorito. Knowing Ragnar is back and working should help dislodge the bastard's hold on them, he is a trusted ally to them."

They spoke some more, perhaps a few more hours until the shadows grew longer with the sun still up. With the day coming to an end, the two women both stood up and decided to take a tour of Wolfie's village. Out here in the bleakest of deserts, the Forgotten Springs was a jewel that Disco had grew to appreciate. The Drakes from earlier were hung as table replaced them.

Women were setting up long strands of rope with ribbons, curtains were cast across buildings and rocks to provide shade. It was like this place was coming to life as colors were abundant among the small paths.

Eventually they came across a group of young ladies who were bunched by a boulder on the near outskirts of the village, Disco grew curious and approached them. As she was shorter than them, she could not see over the rock but she heard Wolfie giggle. Now her interest was reaching its pique, she climbed up and shoved a girl to the side to have room, she peered over and then her jaw dropped.

Both Ragnar and Pax were sitting on the other side of the spring, drinks in hand, as they were shirtless.

Ragnar's raven locks were loose and free, he lazily looked at nothing in particular as he and Pax conversed. She could not hear them as Wolfie started to herd the girls elsewhere. "C'mon, move along. That's mine there so move..."

"He's not one of us, where is he from?"

"Somewhere far away, now get moving, all of you," Wolfie said firmly.

The girls groaned in disappointment as Wolfie shepherded them back to the village.

Disco kept watching the men, she saw Ragnar grab a bucket and take in water to wash over his face and hair. He ran his hand across his face as sighed out of relief. He went on, speaking again, as Wolfie returned to stand by Disco and lean against the boulder.

"Fine man, isn't he?" Wolfie asked.

"He is..." Her eyes were set on Ragnar.

Wolfie hummed as she smiled. "Can't believe I'm going to be married to him."

"I can't believe it either," Disco murmured.

"...had you ever thought of settling down?"

"...not once. Never had the time and after Twintania, I just, well, it simply did not happen. You?"

"Pax is loyal to friends. He will not rest his blade until he finishes his job. Perhaps after this we may settle or we may travel, who knows where life will take us..."

"...how is he in bed?"

Conversationally, Wolfie told her,"Much better than how you sing songs of him. I feel like you should write a much more...grandeur ballad for him to match his prowess."

"I'll have inspiration if you let me watch," she jokingly suggested.

"Why watch when you can have an experience yourself?"

Disco snorted,"Pardon?"

"Pax had spoken to me numerous times...he had observed Ragnar for quite a while, Pax believes he is smitten by you."

Disco's smile fell, her thoughts derailed as she thought back to all the times she and Ragnar had spent with one another. Not once, at least in her eyes, had Ragnar done anything closely related to being fond of her. She stared at him, her mouth hung open, she was perplexed by this.

"Before you begin to perform some sort of Aetheric equation in your head, just know that Ragnar appreciates you deeply. He never spoke of it but he is grateful for you. Mayhap he sees you more than a friend, you've been helping him immensely after all."

"He never says anything...perhaps I'm getting through to him," she reasoned.

"Improvement is improvement," Wolfie said with a shrug, she got away from the boulder, in turn, Disco followed her. "Come...let us meet with my mother and my other sisters. I'm sure they would love to see your bow..."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

Riqe was a tad taller than Wolfie.

Unlike her, her hair was a stark black, jet, almost as dark as Ragnar's.

She had forgone the traditional face paint and tattoos and the typical hairstyle. She let it loose and kept it clean unlike her desert sisters. For an assassin, Disco was surprised how...warm and kind she was. She was not the sociopath she imagined, she smiled among her kin and laughed. Nothing remotely close to being a killer of men was found in her when Wolfie introduced her to them.

Ragnar remained silent though his eye was on her at all times.

"...the journey here was as quick as the winds that come and go," Riqe said as she sat with them,"enough of myself, tell me who your friends are."

Just as the others from the tribe, she had that characteristic purr in her dialect.

"My mate, Pax," Wolfie started, she gestured to Disco,"my close friend Disco and then Ragnar."

"So all of you are adventurers?" Riqe asked.

"Indeed," Disco confirmed, she tried to keep up appearances as she smiled slightly. "I travel, write songs, let the people know of those who inspire my lyrics. Ragnar here is a scholar of sorts, he studies anything and everything he can find. Pax, well, I'm sure Wolfie has told you about him enough."

The woman nodded. "Interesting..."

A small girl came running by, she grabbed Riqe by the hand and tried to bring her somewhere else while saying,"Riqe! I wanna show you something!"

"Alright, alright," Riqe said warmly, she waved to Wolfie and ran with the little girl.

Wolfie waved back in turn, telling her,"I'll see you at the ceremony!"

"...a shame she has family to think of," Ragnar said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "A pure shame."

Disco placed her hand on the crook of his arm, she wrapped her fingers and kept a firm hold on him as though to tell him to contain himself. She felt how tense he was under his sleeves, her smile faded as Pax looked away.

"Your time will come," Disco assured him.

-...-

When the sun was at its highest did the festivities begin.

As Wolfie was being prepared, Disco had left her. She could not add her own personal touch as she did not know what was appropriate. Weddings in the Shroud sure, she knew what was permitted but out here in the desert, they had many rituals she could not partake in. As a result, she ended up going outside the village to where Pax had his tent set up.

Inside, Pax was readying for the ceremony as Ragnar aided him.

He had more knowledge of these people than Pax or Disco.

As she approached, Ragnar was painting upon Pax's face as best he could over the burns. He was using the blood of a drake to draw intricate patterns across his cheeks and around his eyes.

"Do you boys need help?" Disco inquired as she sat by, she crossed one leg over the other.

"I'm quite fine," Ragnar replied, in his slender hands he held Pax's face in place. "This tribe in particular worships several gods and there is a hierarchy as to who belongs on what part of the face."

Disco hummed as Pax remained silent.

"So how do you plan on taking Riqe down?"

"I will need Pax's blades for this."

She scoffed. "You're a mage, not once had I seen you use a blade in a battle."

Upon Ragnar releasing Pax's face, the groom told her,"You don't think all those morning jogs were just purely jogging, do you?"

"Months of training, but for her she had a lifetime," Disco pointed out, he merely nodded as Pax remained silent for his lips to be painted.

"You're forgetting I'm a Warrior of Light-"

"As am I and Pax but that does not make us immortal."

"Do you not want me to fight?"

Disco huffed as she crossed her arms.

Once Pax's lips were colored properly, he finally spoke,"Riqe will not think of this as an actual duel to the death. Everything will seem staged to her, Ragnar should be fine with this under the guise of being a friendly opponent."

"Surprise and minimal training...Ragnar, you never killed by hand before. Sure, say your spells and light them ablaze but it's different when you kill in person, very different." She stood and headed for the entrance. "It's just different."

-...-

Rituals proceeded throughout the morning, the usual sacrifices and prayers resounded through the oasis but Disco and Ragnar kept their respectful distances. As they watched Wolfie and Pax slice open a drake together, Ragnar leaned slightly over towards Disco and murmured,"The knives."

"What?" She asked.

"Give them," was all he demanded of her, she hesitated to give them to him but if this was what he wanted, then so be it. She undid the belt and handed them to him, in turn he latched it around his waist and settled them comfortably. He had both hands over the knives and began to murmur something, they had disappeared and the belt seemed nothing out of the ordinary. "You better know what you're doing."

He did not reply as they watched the rest of the sacrifice being offered to the sun. By the end of it, the Nunh spoke up, calling for Ragnar to come forth. Following the beckoning was Riqe. The fight was to take place in the square for all to witness the representation of a young male proving himself worthy to the Nunh.

Ragnar approached one end of the large circle of the crowd while Riqe took her own place across from him.

While she was dressed in traditional hunting attire of cloth, Ragnar had opted to fight shirtless.

As it turned out, Pax was telling the truth about Ragnar. Compared to when she first saw him in his new form, he had acquired some bulk and muscle. While it was nothing compared to Pax's own physique, he had trained enough for his muscle tone to be defined. Amazingly, she had never known this, he had a tattoo over his heart, one of a raven whose wings spread over the right and up to his shoulder.

She could not recall when he had received it, it must have been recent when she was not paying attention to him.

"He is who I am to fight?" Riqe questioned.

He remained silent.

"The Duel Under the Sun is a long tradition," U'doh Nunh began,"it stems back to when the first Nunh, whose name we had lost to time for his misdeeds, fell to the blade of a young man, allowing him to ascend to Nunh. His life brought prosperity to our tribe and for generations afterwards, we practice his Duel as a proving for an ascension. But for now, betrothal is now its purpose. It is to prove that the young can protect his mate."

He chuckled as he paced between the two opponents.

"My bones are brittle and in these times, we can allow substitution. My daughter Riqe will represent myself and Ragnar will do so for Pax. In this Duel, let their displays of prowess show that we can maintain tradition. The Duel shall end when one calls for defeat."

To finish his speech, he gave a roar that sounded like a beast, yet in this chaos he bellowed out words that Disco knew nothing of.

He then walked away and stood among the crowd as the two fighters were given spears.

Riqe tested its weight, she twirled it in her hand as Ragnar held his confidently.

The crowd suddenly fell silent until the drums began to beat, it was as though three beats later they rushed at one another.

Ragnar immediately ducked from a thrust from the Shadow, he responded by trying to sweep her leg. She leaped up and attempted to drive her spear into him. He moved swiftly to get up and avoid her as she swept the spear, hitting Ragnar on the side. He gritted his teeth as he tried to shake it off.

It was obvious that he was not experienced with a pole, she had the upper hand in her arms. She continued to thrust her weapon towards him, all he could do was dodged her as nimbly as possible. However, at one point during one of her jabs, she grazed his arm and left a thin slice on his skin that started to bleed. She had not a single scratch on her and she was clearly the swifter one of the two.

Their fight continued on, however, Ragnar was beginning to show wear. He was growing tired over time, his chest was rising and falling as he tried to keep up with her. As for Riqe, she continued to assault him, jabbing at him as if to mock his inadequacy. Disco rushed over to Pax as Ragnar was struck over the head, he collapsed on the ground as the pole fell from his hand.

"He's not going to be able to do it, he can't even get close enough," Disco said quickly though quietly enough for none of the others to hear her.

Pax merely had his arms crossed as Riqe approached Ragnar, her spear at her side. "You understand this is Ragnar, correct?"

"What are you talking about? He's going to forfeit right now!"

"Just wait..."

As Ragnar brought his head up, he found himself staring at the end of the spear, the point so damn close to to his eyes. He glared at her as she was smirking, she was panting as though the Duel was a routine workout for her. He got to one knee, eyes still trained on her.

"Do you admit defeat, Ragnar?" She asked.

He remained silent, just as he was earlier, he stayed still as a mountain.

"Well?"

His muscles began to relax as though he were letting go of his high. For that split moment, Riqe lowered her guard, her spear slightly lowering as he opened his mouth. He had intention to speak but then suddenly he wrested the spear out of Riqe's hands; it was loose enough for him to yank it away and cast it aside. She was taken by surprise of this as he lunged up and forward.

He swiftly drew one hidden dagger and flung his arm back as his free hand grabbed her by the nape of her neck.

Immediately she was thrown off balance by his weight, and as soon as she hit the ground, Ragnar dove the knife into her throat. As though he were a predator, he tore her throat wide open; blood spilled over the golden sands as he withdrew the blade and went for her once more. Without a pause, he drew out the second knife and drove it into her chest.

Again and again, he repeatedly stabbed her, slashed away at her, he was an animal and no longer man.

He shouted as he dug the blades further and further, his arms stained.

The people remained quiet, shocked at the sudden shift from a traditional show that turned into a spectacle of blood and flesh being torn apart.

Disco's mouth hung open but Wolfie spoke softly,"Is no one going to stop him?"

"Let him have it," Pax told her.

Disco made to move but he held her by her shoulder.

It went on for what felt like ages but as soon as it began, it ended.

Ragnar stood up, heaving as he stood over the mutilated body of Riqe.

A child cried as he sheathed the blades and simply walked away.

Upon turning, Disco saw that he was covered in blood down his front, the raven upon his chest was stained crimson, just as the locks of his long hair were covered in the front. As he walked on, he brushed his bloodstained hands through his hair, bringing more red to dye his hair.

The trail of blood left in his wake sent a sense of dread down her spine as he disappeared.

It was supposed to be a mock of a fight, innocent with the intention of maintaining tradition. But he had changed it as relatives rushed to Riqe's body, a woman sobbed uncontrollably as the crowd closed in.

"Is this...?" Disco started, yet she knew she would not get an answer from her friends. "Wolfie?"

There was a light sniffle.

"...I just sent my own family to death," was all Wolfie could muster.

-...-

Morning had come and when Disco was fast asleep, she was jostled a bit. She grunted and tried to brush away the hand that tried to wake her. Instead, she was shook even harder, her slumber was now broken as she reluctantly opened her eyes. She glared through her half-lidded vision to see Pax over her at her bedside.

In truth, she had a hard time sleeping.

The previous day's events were etched in her mind, all of what Ragnar had done and then committed to made her question what sort of man he was becoming. It was hard to accept the thought that Ragnar had any sort of liking towards her. For all she could see, there was only a broken mind who had become hellsbent on nothing but destruction.

With this and the Echo, with his bloodlust apparent now, how can he be satisfied when he had accomplished his mission?

"...what?" Disco murmured.

"Ragnar is gone, we need to track him."

She brought herself to sit up, her feet were over the edge of her bed now. "Did he...did he leave a note?"

"Nothing, his chocobo is gone, as are his possessions."

She thought for a moment, then she realized something.

"He's going to blow the operation," Disco quickly said.

Pax craned his head as he watched her stumbled out of bed to untangle herself from the sheets. "How?"

"The Echo, Pax! He must have used it when he was fighting! Get our chocobos ready, I'll explain!"


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own FFXIV nor Heavensward, or several of the characters mentioned in this story, or the FC featured.

* * *

Disco had readied herself and then rushed over to the tent outside the town where Wolfie was. She had found her awoken and readying herself though as she slipped on a shirt, Disco noticed bruises and teeth marks along her back.

"Rough night?"

"Indeed, Pax told you about Ragnar?"

"Of course he did," Disco said quickly once Wolfie buckled her belt to arm herself. "How did he get out?"

"Guards said he left without a word, he had his things and all. They rushed over to our tent and told us, Pax was more decently dressed so he went to tell you."

"...oh."

They had left in a hurry but leaving their possessions was no matter to them; all they needed were weapons.

Without the winds to scatter sands across the vast desert, Disco kept her eyes trained on the path Ragnar used. The prints of a chocobo sprinting was obvious to her as she rode just slightly ahead. Her grogginess had dissipated as she held tighter to the reigns, now all that she felt was anxiety. The tracks headed to the North where the sands slowly became solid ground.

Disco had a veteran eye for tracking but out of most of the environments she had hunted in, the desert always proved slightly problematic. Regardless, she maintained her sight and pressed on.

To Wolfie, she relayed what she told Pax.

"What do you mean he's going to blow the operation?" Wolfie asked as they entered the canyons.

"He's been using the power of the Echo to read other people's intentions," Disco said,"remember he went silent when he was down?"

"I recall that, I thought it was a facade," said Pax.

Disco shook her head as they turned a corner. "Wrong, he only needs a few seconds to access his power. Quickly, what have you learned about Riqe? How well did you track her?"

"Not as well as the others," her newly wedded friend answered, Wolfie rode closer to her to speak up. "From our understanding, Alban is in the city so we cannot touch him yet."

"Ragnar could have taken any information from the organization, we need to know where he goes before his trail gets cold," she said as they were heading towards Little Ala Mhigo. The path began to shift Northwest and so they changed their course to continue on. By this point, the trail had started to fade and she could feel her steed begin to waiver.

She kicked harder as Pax informed her,"The only person who is outside the city as of right now Herrig the Slaver."

"He's the man who works in a mines, yeah?" Disco tried to recall.

"Yes," Wolfie confirmed,"but we haven't found the mine exactly. It is in Eastern Thanalan from what we can gather."

"Good," she huffed, they headed for the outskirts of Southern Thanalan. Upon glancing at the trail, she saw that it had darkened once more and was more pronounced by the disturbance of rocks. By now that was all she could follow but should he take another path where dirt was scarce they would lose him.

They continued on into the Sandgate of Eastern Thanalan, by then the sun had rose directly above their heads. Their chocobos were at their limit of squeezing in a full two day's worth of travel within several hours. In the distance where the pool of water, they spotted a snow white chocobo tied to a tree; it was the very same one. Eventually they slowed near a small oasis where they could rest briefly.

Disco dismounted, as did the others, and saw Ragnar sitting by the water's edge.

He did not look at them, not even when Disco advanced upon him and grabbed him by the collar to pull him up.

"Have you lost your damn mind!?" Disco shouted.

"I only wanted some peace and quiet," he said calmly,"I have no idea why you-"

"You didn't tell the guards where you were going, plus you took everything you had," Pax snorted as he folded his arms. "Seems suspicious if you ask me."

"You were going to go after the enemy, weren't you?!" She barked.

His one good eye stared at her, she did not like the look he was giving her. There was not much to be needed to understand that he had something irrational dancing across his mind.

"Do you know how stupid it is!?"

"And you suppose that waiting for Wolfie and Pax to be done with their business will not arouse paranoia from Lolorito once he catches wind?" Ragnar questioned her, he took hold of her wrist and gripped it tightly. He held tighter and tighter until Disco's face contorted in a snarl and she was forced to release him.

"We were sent out here to do one thing and then report back to Sinclair," Wolfie said firmly as he stepped back. "We're not going on a rogue mission into the mines to find Herrig, there's only four of us and we don't have the manpower nor information to get inside there."

"Yes, yes, but why go back to Gridania when we can go in? I have learned of where the mine is."

"Of course you did," Disco snorted.

"You doubt me?"

"I don't, I know you've been using the damn Echo on every person we've shaken down. It's not a surprise you used it in battle with Riqe."

Ragnar merely shrugged. "It would be a waste not to use it. Are you telling me, again, how wrong it is? I'm using it to further our work-"

"And if you go in there on your own, what are you to do? Fight your way in through the wardens? Get to Herrig and kill him, expect to get out cleanly?" Disco challenged him, she stepped back, her glare sharpened as he seemed like he would take off at any moment. "You've infiltrated Garleans before but you had help, it's not any different now."

"...then what about we go in there ourselves and have a peek?" He pressed on. "I'll withhold information on where it is if we do not pursue my proposal."

It fell silent between them.

"We really don't know where it is," Wolfie confessed,"but it's not like you to think this. What's gotten into you, Ragnar?"

"He just wants more blood," Pax pointed out. "He's gotten a taste of it and now he needs to have it again."

Pax was not far off from this statement. The man before them failed to bathe, his hair was still caked in blood, his face was dried up as well. His eyes burned with so much anger that Disco knew that one day, neither she nor Pax can contain it. She knew Ragnar had information yet he was pushing for them to do as he wanted.

"...no," Disco said, she had to stand her ground. Wolfie and Pax made it look so easy to butt heads with him yet she knew that she had little power over Ragnar. It dawned on her that for this entire time, he had been walking all over her to do as he pleased.

Is there be anyone he could possibly listen to or is she just so easily ignored?

She decided not to argue anymore.

She was tired of him.

Disco went to her chocobo and mounted it.

"I'm heading back to Gridania," she said, hollow.

With a soft kick, she walked her steed back to the path where she would travel alone.

"Disco," she heard Pax yet she ignored him.

She did not bother looking back.

-...-

"From my understanding, you left Ragnar in Thanalan?" Sinclair asked of Disco as they stood out in the yard.

Paissa littered the ground, they had grown a tad bit heavier and now were exploring the lawn. Sinclair, given that she was always at their base, had decided to take care of the young creatures in place of Ragnar. By now she seemed to have softened up to them, she was no longer harsh as when she first met them. As she supervised the Paissa in the late afternoon of the following day, Disco arrived to report to her.

It was like the entire district had fallen asleep to the lazy sun that had begun to fade.

"Not alone, if that's what you think," Disco retorted, she decided to relax herself as she picked up one and cradled it. "Wolfie and Pax are there, hopefully he'll come to his senses and return here."

Sinclair merely scoffed,"You know him better than I. You tell me if he decides to return."

"I feel like I do not know him as who he was," she admitted.

"Regardless of whether you know him or not today, the fact is that he knows where Herrig's mine is. Now we must wait a day or so for him to come back so that we can have said information. I do not take well to lateness."

"Then what would you have done in my situation?"

Sinclair glanced at her and said simply,"Bring him back against his will. Render him unconscious if need be, another thing I do not take well is when people hold information hostage. At that point, he would no longer be on our side."

"...he's rash but not a traitor," Disco countered.

"No, I would not call him a traitor, just someone who needs a lesson to be taught about being in my ranks," she said, but then the sound of a chocobo's cry came from a distance. The two women looked up to see four riders rushing across the bridge. To this, Disco stood up, she immediately recognized her friends but much to her dread that came, Sinclair added,"I was informed of what he was about to do, and so I sent Ham to fetch him before you arrived."

Atop his chocobo, Ham led Ragnar's.

He had the reins in his free hand as he dismounted at the gate. Pax and Wolfie followed suit, though they had a somber look upon their faces. Her eyes followed Ham's hand to see Ragnar still sitting there, hands tied to the horn as his mouth was gagged. Wolfie had his staff in her hand, she handed it to Disco before she helped Pax get Ragnar out of the saddle.

"What are you going to do to him?!" Disco shouted as Ham grabbed Ragnar by the shoulder to usher him into the house. "You can't just beat it out of him!"

"And you think you done a better job back in the desert?" Ham grunted.

She followed at their heels as Ragnar was pushed further into the house. "I don't condone this!" She turned to face Wolfie and Pax as they stayed out in the lawn. "Why didn't you stop him!? Why don't you stop this!?"

"Sinclair's right," Pax said quietly, in response, he was shoved by Disco. He went to hold her wrists before she could follow Ham. "He's getting dangerous, we need to calm him down."

"Hurting him isn't going to work!" She snapped, her voice was no longer being heard, she felt powerless and betrayed almost. Her closest friends were seemingly agreeing with Sinclair's choice of punishment; torture. She faced Sinclair, even as Pax held her back. "What are you going to do? Cut off his fingers? Put him in a vice until his limbs pop? What!?"

Sinclair gave her a quizzical look,"Who said I was going to hurt him?"

"Easy there, Disco," Pax said as soothingly as he could, though it was slightly muffled by his mask. "We're just going to keep him locked up until he decides to speak. They're not going to hurt him, Sinclair assured us that they won't, else we wouldn't have turned him over."

"It's just some time for him to cool down," Wolfie added, upon hearing her reassurances, Disco ceased her movements. "For now, we can begin planning what we can."

"W-what?"

"Once we get the coordinates out of him, there will be preparations to go into the mine for all of us and a couple more hands," her friend told her.

"This isn't going to be a single assassination, well, it actually is, but we are also going to free the Ala Mihgans. As I said before, if we have enough forces on our side, Lolorito will be out of business and will be forced to try and take back the slaves. His hands will be full but not with money. Cripple is source, he will not be able to pay for the guards to stay around too long," she relayed to her.

"In order to do this, we need to know how many guards there are, what are their shifts, and if we can convince the people to rebel," Pax added. "And...it will help if Ragnar is sane in the head to pretend to be leader."

Disco shook her head,"He's not one of them, much less an Ala Mhigan."

"A celebrity face, however," Sinclair said with a smile. "Who's better to liberate slaves than the Savior of Eorzea? I can see it now, Savior of Ala Mhigo. Liberator of the Chained. Or perhaps just the Liberator. You can write songs about him."

In truth, Disco had not written any songs, not since she defeated Twintania.

"Either way, we need him compliant and ready to go," she said as she turned heel.

-...-

"You going to beat me?" Ragnar hissed as he as slammed onto a chair. He spat onto the ground.

Ham backed away from him to stand by the door. In his hand was the key to the door, he twirled it by the ring as he went to lean against the wall. "No, that was not part of the agreement between your friends and us. All I can do is stand here and wait for you to tell me what we need to know, then we can go on our merry way with the plan."

"Well, I'm not opening my mouth any time soon," he scoffed, he leaned back in his char, his hands still bound yet they were neatly in his lap.

"Then how about I just scold you?"

Ragnar scoffed again.

"Tell me what you were thinking. Were you seriously going to go into the mines, find Herrig, and kill him?"

He did not say anything.

"You're an adventurer. You barge into the next cave or stronghold, you go in, and you kill, take the loot or whatever treasure...that's what you're used to. I heard how you infiltrated the Garleans...they had one force you attacked, then the other Grand Companies attacked the other fronts, hence they severed any sort of support. This is different. We don't have Grand Companies on our side, not like we used to. It's just us and our merry band of misfits."

"And...how are these misfits going to do this?"

"We sneak in. Yes, your name is known but not your face. I doubt they give vivid descriptions of you in taverns. Think, there are more slaves than there are guards, you get the masses under your pinky and we can have the support to push out once our job is done. How's that? Sounds better than rushing in and getting killed, eh?"

"...I suppose that this is better," he finally admitted.

"Working together...as a coordinated unit, that is how we plan on this and that is how we do things around here. We will take care of Herrig, you make as much noise as possible as you free the people. Isn't that what you did for Valencia?"

Ragnar suddenly perked up.

"Think of it like that."

"Alright...but I'll need one thing from you."

"What?"

"I'll need a sword, one that is light enough to wield."

"Like Sinclair's?"

"No...heavier, the sort that can break chains."

Ham nodded slowly. "That can be granted. I can see what I can do about that, only if you agree to give us the information."

"...yes. Get me a map of Thanalan...and get these damn ropes off of me," he grunted as he got up.

In turn, Ham pocketed the key and retrieved his knife; in one swift motion, he sliced away at Ragnar's restraints. Ragnar massaged his wrists as Ham opened the door, beckoning him,"Let's get going, we need to show them that you're not going to run off like a madman on a suicide mission."

As they walked down the hallway and towards the stairs, Ragnar told him,"Sorry about the whole thing..."

"No problem, you didn't run off so no harm done, all you need is get a good head on your shoulders. We can work on that."


End file.
